As the inevitability of dwindling fuel tax revenues keeps butting heads with the inevitable need for more funding for transportation infrastructure, something has to give. States are now making moves instead of just talking about them, as this New York Times piece demonstrates.

As reauthorization comes a round again in 2014, it is essential that we do more than discuss possible funding cures for the seriously ill Highway Trust Fund. Moving some state budget proposals out into the general debate has to help, even if it just gets a preliminary stage out of the way. It would be disastrous to approach the 2014 debate with almost exactly the same arguments that floated aimlessly about during the MAP-21 prelude.

As the inevitability of dwindling fuel tax revenues keeps butting heads with the inevitable need for more funding for transportation infrastructure, something has to give. States are now making moves instead of just talking about them, as this New York Times piece demonstrates.

As reauthorization comes a round again in 2014, it is essential that we do more than discuss possible funding cures for the seriously ill Highway Trust Fund. Moving some state budget proposals out into the general debate has to help, even if it just gets a preliminary stage out of the way. It would be disastrous to approach the 2014 debate with almost exactly the same arguments that floated aimlessly about during the MAP-21 prelude.